Police Still Following Huddle House Shooting Leads

January 25, 2006It’s been two months since the Huddle House shootings in North Augusta that left one dead and two severely injured. And North Augusta Public Safety is continuing to follow up on leads.

Several AK 47 or SKS guns have been handed over to North Augusta Public Safety or the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Through ballistic testing those guns will either be connected or eliminated to the shootings that happened here at the Huddle House two months ago.

Breakfast is served and things are pretty much back to normal at this Huddle House. But a mystery remains about who is responsible for shooting three people, killing one of them.

“The info and the tips that we are getting give us the name and we look into that, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are a suspect but we have to look and see,” said Detective Tim Thorton, North Augusta Public Safety.

Detective Tim Thorton says the department has received more than 200 leads. Of those, dozens were interviewed and their guns AK 47’s or SKS guns handed over for ballistic testing.

“This gun might be a match and it might not be and that’s why we take the time to test it,” Thorton said.

When a bullet leaves the barrel of a gun it leaves a distinctive mark on that round and that may be the key to finding the killer.

“We can connect a weapon unfortunately we can’t find the weapon we can eliminate all the weapons that we find,” Thorton said.

And while there is evidence left at the scene, the gun is the missing link.

“You can’t forget we still got a killer out there somewhere that’s running loose,” Thorton said.

SLED is the process of testing guns, one from this area, another from Savannah. None of the people that have turned over guns are considered actual suspects and they weren’t taken into custody.

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